winter storage: what proceedures should i take?
 

I'm going to be storing my r/t over the winter and want to get people's opinion of what to do.

in the past when storing my road runner, i usually leave about 1/4 tank of gas in her and start her up every couple of weeks letting her run for 10 minutes or so. that way, in the spring i know she would start no problem and it also keep the battery charged.

with my new car, i was wondering if there was any other steps to take. someone told me not to run for a little bit of time because unless its run hot, the condesation in the exhaust will build up while it sits.

someone else told me it was ok to not run them at all and just keep a battery regulator on it to keep the charge.

both my cars are garage kept.

can i get away with just starting and running my challenger every couple weeks in the garage and let it run long and hot enough to burn condensation off?

thanks for any input in advance.

RE: winter storage: what proceedures should i take?
 

I would use Stabil in the fuel. It works good in lawn equipment that is not used over the off season. I always leave my tank in the GTX full. I thought that would help keep condensation from forming in the gas tank and allowing rust. Maybe I have been wrong in that assumption. I always keep the motorcycles' tank full too but I try to ride it at least once a month during the winter. Definately keep the battery on some sort of tender.

RE: winter storage: what proceedures should i take?
 

+1 for a full tank + stabil.

RE: winter storage: what proceedures should i take?
 

How about you just drive the car... the winter isn't going to hurt it.

RE: winter storage: what proceedures should i take?
 

Keep a full tank of gas to prevent condensation. I don't think letting it run in the garage for twenty minutes is a great idea unless there is no way you can drive it due to snow or ice. Also, leaving it sit in one spot and never turning the tires could mess up your tires. I try to take mine out every couple weeks in the winter when the roads are clear and run it for 30 minutes or so. If that's not possible a battery tender would keep the battery from losing its charge, but I suppose you would need to find a way to get it to the trunk.

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RE: winter storage: what proceedures should i take?
 

get the car up off the ground, prevent flat spotting those expensive tires

full tank + stabilizer

if your not gonna run it get a battery tender and one of those special oil pumps that circulates the oil before you start the car to the top of the engine.

keeping everything nicley lubricated should be your number one concern.

RE: winter storage: what proceedures should i take?
 

Rather than put my cars on jack stand I have often just overinflated them by 10 or 15 lbs to help prevent flatspots.

RE: winter storage: what proceedures should i take?
 

Being originally from Iowa, I know winter and raj is right. There are nice days during any winter when the streets are clear and not a lot of slush is going to get throw up under the car. That's the only thing you really need to worry about. The cold isn't going to hurt your car. It was built in Canada, remember? The folks up there understand winter, too. ;)

RE: winter storage: what proceedures should i take?
 

Ehhhh... No.
Try Telling that to my 1967 Barracuda.
The snow made our restoration a heck of alot harder.

RE: winter storage: what proceedures should i take?
 

Radial tires are less prone to flat-spots than bias ply tires were. . .

RE: winter storage: what proceedures should i take?
 

I had a 69 Chevelle SS396 (which I sold to buy my 09 RT) for over 10 years and it was a "garage queen" that I only put a few hundred miles a year on. But I never winterized it, for the reasons stated above about wanting to keep everything nicely lubricated and in running order. I'd just start it up every 2-3 weeks and if the roads were free of salt, I'd drive it for 10-15 minutes until the temps came all the way up (AND the exhaust pipes were nice & HOT to burn off that condensation).

On weeks where the roads were salty, I just back the car up & down my salt free driveway a few times to heat it up and to lube everything and to make the transmission shift and to avoid flat spots and to prevent the seal in the master cylinder from taking a set, etc. etc etc. Oh, and yes, Stabil in the tank. That overall scheme did me well for over 10 years as I never had any strange problems in the 10 years I had it.

I live in SE Pa where we dont get subzero temps but we do get down into the teens for spells and we often go below freezing.

I had a friend with a MINT Vette who winterized his (took the wheels off & put it up on blocks, poured some fancy liquid down the carb to prevent it from rusting up etc) and that all seemed like such a hassle. Plus, sometimes you get a warm spell in the winter and it's nice to be able to take advantage of it by just opening up your garage door and turning your ignition key and being able to go right away!

I will say one thing about a battery tender if you use one. Disconnect it a good few minutes and let the battery ventilate before you start the car. I exploded a battery under the hood of my Chevelle one time when I disconnected the tender & started the car immediately - I figure it must have been a combo of battery gases from the charging coupled with a spark under the hood. And when I say exploded, I mean EXPLODED.

RE: winter storage: what proceedures should i take?
 

My procedure is quite similar. For over 20 yrs I've always been an advocate to "run them" as much as possible. I do use Stabil and keep about 1/3 of a tank, but the tank rarely lasts me the winter...which is purposeful to add new fuel at some point, usually late January. I run the cars on "salt free" winter days as others have described and put about 15-20 miles each time out...they get nice and hot. I also make sure the heat is on in my garage before and after the run, thus hot metal turning to cold is less likely to cause condensation if temp change is gradual. I do this as much for electrical components as mechanical.

I would say, if you're planning NOT to drive it at all, I'd do a full tank w/ stabil or drain the tank completely.

That's my deal, no problems to date.

RE: winter storage: what proceedures should i take?
 

I dont disagree with any of the advice, but in Alaska I did store many classics.

If it is cold storage leave the tank full, and use at least as much of the bottled HEAT that is recommended. Starting your car is where you see more wear per revolution then ANY other time. Starting it weekly for an entire winter is equal to thousands of miles of use on the engine. Lack of lube is the reason for this. The colder the weather, the longer it takes to lube.

I park mine full, and remove the battery. If I think it will be moved I use a battery blanket, and a trickel charger (1 amp). If you are even remotely worried about rust on the cylinder walls then you can fog the block, but it wont be an issue in the spring after about 10 seconds running.

RE: winter storage: what proceedures should i take?
 

Just don't drive it in the snow! And the 2009 Challenger isn't a 67 Barracuda... snow aint gonna hurt it.
I drive my 69 vette on nice crisp winter days... it's refreshing. And saves me the time and money of needless winterizing a car.
Stop being wusses and drive the damn thing... my RT is a daily driver and I'll be driving it 50 miles each way to work everyday, rain or shine... even in the snow if need be!